Device for converting motion



(No Model.)

0. W. COLONY".

DEVICE FOR OONVEBTINGMOTIONf No. 289,622. Pate te LDw 1883.

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N. PETERS. Pholv-Ulhagnpiwr. wuhin mn. 0.1;

stand provided with my improvements.

,UNITE ;-STATE i PATENT QFFI E.

CHARLES w.-oo o1 iY, or SANDY, CREEK, NEW YORK.

DEVICE FOR CONVERTING MOTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 289,622, dated December 4,1883.

Application filed October 9,1883. (No model.)

To all whontit may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES W. COLONY, of Sandy Creek, in the county of Oswego, in the State of New York, have invented-new and useful'lmprovements in Devices for Con verting Reciprocating into Rotary Motion, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is, first, to provide simple and effective means for transmitting from a reciprocating rod or pitman rotary motion to a shaft, invariably in one direction only, and without encounteringthe deadcenters common to the ordinary crank-motion; secondly, to provide a simple and convenient brake for controlling the motion of the rotary shaft; and, thirdly, to balance a vertical pitman, so as to normally sustain the same in its elevated position and to attain these objects my invention consists in the novel construction and combination of mechanisms, as hereinafter fully described, and set forth in the claims.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is avertical transverse section of a sewing-machine Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of the connection of the pitman with the shaft. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the same. Figs. 4 and 5 are side and edge views illustrating the operation of the brake, and Fig. 6 illustrates one of the modifications which my invention is susceptible of.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents the shaft which is to receive rotary motion.

a designates a hub, which on large shafts may be dispensed with, or which may constitute the hub of awheel, said hub being rigidly secured to the shaft.

P denotes the pitman or reciprocating rod, provided with a longitudinal slot, 8, through which the shaft A passes, said slot serving to guide the pitman in its movement, and to enable the same to resist the lateral thrust,incident to the engagement with the shaft, alternately at opposite sides by arms connected 1 5 with the pitman, as hereinafter explained.- At opposite sides of the slot 8 the pitman is provided with slots,-in which are pivotedboxes 0 c, and through saidv boxes slide longitudinally arms 01 d, which are hung or loosely connected with the shaft A-by straps on the end of the arms, encompassing the shaft at opposite sides of the hub a, so. as to allow them to freely oscillate thereon. The ends of the arms d d facing the hub a are beveled, respectively, in opposite directions to form conversely-disposed cam-faces n, in which lies a roller, r, retained in position by a spring-plate, a, which is attached to the arm and projects over the cam-face, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. In reciprocating the pitman the arms d d receive an oscillatory motion, and are at the same time caused to slide longitudinally in the pivoted boxes 0 a. The oscillation of the arms (I d in one direction causes the roller 1" to become bound between the cam-face n of the arm and periphery of the hub, and thus imparts rotary motion to the shaft, and the oscillation in the opposite direction throws the roller out of its aforesaid engagement. The inclination of the cam-faces of the two arms, being arranged conversely in relation to each other, causes said arms to actuate the shaft A alternately. i

I do not limit myself to the use of the hereinbefore described cam-faces on the end of the arms d d and the rollers between said camfaces and hub a, as it .is obvious that the clutch or grasping devices of the arm on the shaft admit of many variations, an example being illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings, in which a ratchet-wheel, a, is substituted for the hub a, and pawls r are connected with the arms, to alternately engage the ratchet during the oscillation of said arms, imparted to them by the reciprocating pitman, to which they are connected, as hereinbefore described. At each end of the slot 3 the pitman is pro vided with a shoulder or bearing, 1), adapted to come in contact with the hub a when the pitman is moved the entire length of the slot 8, said slot being more than of sufficient length to allow the pitman'ample play to impart to the shaft a rotary motion of almost any desired velocity.

Inasmuch as the described clutch or grasp of the arms d d on the hub a allows the shaft to be rotated by the momentum of the balance-wheel after the motion of the pitman has ceased, it becomes necessary to provide a suitable brake, by which the operator may control the aforesaid motion, and stop the same when desired. This brake consists of the bearings b b at the ends of the slot 8 of the pitman. By pushing or pulling the pitman, so as to bring one of the aforesaid bearings in frictional contact with the periphery of the hub a, the motion of the latter is checked, and since the hub a is fixed to the shaft A, said shaft receives the efi'ect of the described brake. It will be observed that on a sewing-machine the aforesaid effect is produced by the pressure on one of the ends of the treadle T, which is connected with the pitman. In order to normally sustain the pitman about midway its movement, and to prevent concussion between the hub 04 andthe brake-bearings b b, I connect to the outer end of the arms d aspiral spring, 6, which bears at one end on the box 0, and at the opposite end on a nut, 11, applied to the end of the arm, the setting of said nuta greater or less distance on the arm serving to adjust the tension of the spring. As the end of the slotted portion of the pitman approaches the shaft the outer ends of the arms (2 d are drawn toward the pitman, thereby causing the Springs 6 to become compressed, and by their resilience the pitman receives a rebound.

To the upper end of the pitman I connect a spring, 25, which is suspended from the under side of the top plate of the table, or from some other suitable elevated object, by means of which spring the pitman is further supported in a partially-elevated position, and thus the treadle is sustained in a horizontal position when at rest.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In combination with a rotary shaft, a longitudinally-slotted pitman extended across opposite sides of the shaft, arms hung on the shaft and pivoted on the pitman, respectively at opposite sides of the shaft, and adapted to the shaft, substantially as described and sh own.

3. In combination with the rotary shaft, the hub a, pitman P, provided with the slot .9, and brake-bearings b b, the boxes 0 c, pivoted on the pitman, respectively, at opposite sides of the slotted portion thereof, the arms d d, sliding in said boxes, springs e e, for retracting the arms, and clutches on the end of said arms, adapted to alternately engage and release the hub a, substantially as set forth and shown.

4. In combination with the rotary shaft, a pit man adapted to slide longitudinally across said shaft, mechanism for transmitting motion from the pitman to the shaft, and brake-bcaring connected with the pitman, and adapted to be brought in contact with a bearing fixed to the shaft, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I havehereunto signed my name and affixed my seal, in the presence of two attesting witnesses, at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, this 4th day of October, 1883.

CHARLES W. COLONY. s.]

\Vitnesses:

FREDERICK I-I. GIBBS, O. BENDIXEN. 

